


she is here and now (she is home)

by jewishfitz



Series: starlight and star-crossed [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Post-Canon, boy howdy does it feel good to add that tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26971960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jewishfitz/pseuds/jewishfitz
Summary: Fitz, newly retired, gets his bearings again.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: starlight and star-crossed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968313
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	she is here and now (she is home)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all. Long time no see.  
> Title is from Take Your Time (Coming Home) by fun. Unbeta’d, all mistakes are my own.

What a strange thing, he thinks, to be safe. After all this time.

Nowhere to run, no reason to hide, nothing to do but… live. Nothing to do but live.

The floorboards creak in unfamiliar ways under his feet, cold even through the woolen socks he has on. The mug he carries is warm, though, and he holds it with both hands to try and get its heat to spread. What a treat, he thinks, to witness a more normal use of thermodynamics.

The house is quiet and dark, moonlight pooling on the floor wherever the windows let it in. It is both familiar and unfamiliar. He’s never been here before and, yet, he’s imagined this place so many times over the years. He’s dreamed about this, this kind of easy domesticity, for so long– on planes and spaceships and in underground bunkers. Fitz feels like he’s dreaming, even now.

What a strange thing indeed, to be alive and awake on a clear, quiet evening.

Evening is a stretch, though. Fitz hasn’t checked his watch, but he knows it’s at least 11 pm. He’d gone to bed a few hours ago—because that’s something he can do now, go to bed early without worrying about what crises he’d miss while asleep—but he’s wide awake now. Something about an unfamiliar house. Even if he’s dreamed this before, the new houses’ new noises will still take some getting used to.

As quietly as he can, he slips through the front door, sliding onto the porch swing and wincing at its loud creak.

The stars are beautiful out here, with no big city chasing them away with its light pollution and smog. There are so many of them, and Fitz finds himself feeling overwhelmed and strangely emotional. He used to try to count the stars, back when he was growing up. Everyone told him he’d never be able to, but he was Fitz– boy genius, exceed-er of expectations. When was the last time he let people like that stop him?

Of course, he was never able to count them all. But that never stopped him from trying.

He wipes at the corner of his eyes. He doesn’t know why he’s crying.

The door creaks open and he jumps a little because old habits die hard and old traumas die harder. Jemma yawns, and gives him a sleepy smile. “Hi. Mind if I join you?”

She’s always gorgeous, but he likes her best like this– happy and unafraid. He gives her a watery smile, and scoots over. “Sure, don’t mind at all.”

She joins him on the porch swing, immediately curling into him and resting her head on his shoulder. Sappy as it is, he’s always thought her head fit there like his shoulder had been made just for that purpose. Maybe it had.

He looks down at her. Her eyes are closed. “Is Alya asleep?”

She nods, and yawns again. “Yes. It took forever, though. The move got her all excited.”

Fitz hums in acknowledgement. “I know the feeling.”

He looks back up at the stars, and Jemma lifts her head to join him. “Doesn’t it feel sort of anticlimactic, now that we’ve been to space and all that?” she asks.

Fitz shakes his head. “No. Never.” He looks back down at Jemma. “They’ll always be stunning, no matter how many times I look at them.”

She rolls her eyes, fondness seeping through the expression like sunlight. “Such a romantic.”

He grins. “So you finally agree, then? That I’m the romantic one.”

She scoffs. “I said no such thing.” There’s a pause. “We can both be romantic.” Her hand finds his where it rests between them.

“So,” he says, savoring every word. “What do you want to do tomorrow?”

She smiles at that, bright and a little bit misty-eyed. “You know what, Fitz? I have no idea.”

He laughs, quiet and fond. “How about we sleep in, huh? Been ages since we didn’t have to set an alarm.”

“That sounds lovely.” She tilts her head, considering. “Alya will probably wake us up, anyways.”

Fitz nods. “She probably will.”

In that moment, looking up at the stars, Fitz is suddenly struck by an old memory. The two of them, a bit tipsy, sitting on the ramp of the Bus, watching a rocket launch. The innocence of the memory makes his heart ache, but he knows, now, that the journey was worth it for the destination.

Fitz and Simmons sit there—earthbound and in love—watching the stars. Two molecules, finally at home in their resting state.

**Author's Note:**

> All credit to [@chidi-anagonye](https://chidi-anagonye.tumblr.com/) for coming up with the perthshire/084 parallel as a concept. It has lived rent free in my mind for years and will continue to do so indefinitely.  
> I honestly still haven’t processed the series finale and I kind of don’t think I ever will. I’m so happy that all of these characters finally got their happy ending.  
> Thank you all for making this fandom such a wonderful place for the last 5 years. It’s sappy, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without this amazing community.  
> You can find me on tumblr [@nojoyinmudville](https://nojoyinmudville.tumblr.com/) (I know, I know, end of an era). I’m mostly writing fic for The Magnus Archives these days, so check those out if that’s something you’re interested in.


End file.
